Père Jacques - Goose Island Beer Co.

StoneTSR

Colorado

4.08/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

On Thursday of this week I bartended for a Goose Island tasting and dinner at the bar I work at. A very sharp Goose Island employee named Tom hosted the event. He and his co-worker (whose name I am sorry to forget, but who was equally as informative and pleasant as Tom) were kind enough to give me a few bottles of Pere Jacques and Bourbon County Stout to take home with me at the end of the night.

As a huge fan of Goose, I was thrilled to talk to some of their actual beer people. And although the staff at the Wrigleyville location (which my girlfriend and I frequent) are wonderful and intelligent, nothing beats talking to the people whose sole job it is to sell and develop the beer.

With all of that said, the fourth course of the five course meal that was served on Thursday was venison steak served with a side of some sort of insanely wonderful potato dish that tasted like Thanksgiving stuffing...and it was paired with the Pere Jacques. So without further ado, here is my review of the first bottle of Pere Jacques that I took home that night:

APPEARANCE: Part of a 12 oz. bottle poured into a 5 oz. white wine glass. Translucent, deep, dark brown. Almost a burgundy color. Very pretty with an evenly balanced head full of thousands of identical medium sized bubbles.

SMELL: A malty sweetness hits the nose immediately. Nothing overpowering, but a pleasant and fairly strong sweet brown sugary smell is present.

TASTE: Right off the bat the malt and a strong, delightful banana flavor hit the pallet. Others who have reviewed this beer have mentioned the grape, toffee and honey flavors. The toffee and honey certainly appear on the back end of this, along with the taste of brown sugar, but banana seems to dominate...at least in this particular bottle and the two pints I've had at the Wrigleyville brewery. In fact, the banana flavor is just flat-out dominating and delicious. Additionally, the sweetness makes me crave the same venison I was served at the tasting on Thursday. It's almost a perfect fit.

FEEL: For as big as the flavor is, the feel is a bit thin. As I sip from the wine glass, it almost feels like an actual glass of wine...OK, not quite that thin, but there is not a lot of mouth action with Pere Jacques. As much as I dislike that from a straight beer perspective maybe it's best given that this beer should accompany a rich and delicious piece of meat like duck or venison.

OVERALL: If you have ever read my other reviews or know who I am you know that I am an IPA man. I love hops, so the Pere Jacques, as a Belgian-inspired beer wouldn't ordinarily be my type of beer. That said, I can recognize quality beer when I taste it even when it isn't an IPA - and this is a quality beer. In fact, even though I prefer IPAs almost all the time there are two occasions that I would opt for a Pere Jacques instead - One, as mentioned above, would be with a nice, rich meaty dinner and two, as an after dinner alternative to a port wine. Truly delicious, makes me a proud Chicagoan. Thanks Bill!

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2010 11:36:46 | More by StoneTSR

ackeeper

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -4.1%

05-21-2013 01:33:59 | More by ackeeper

CanisMajor

Indiana

3.5/5  rDev -10.5%

05-20-2013 22:27:22 | More by CanisMajor

InspectorBob

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +2.3%

05-20-2013 16:22:22 | More by InspectorBob

goblue3509

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -4.1%

05-20-2013 16:11:48 | More by goblue3509

jono0101

Missouri

4.5/5  rDev +15.1%

05-18-2013 16:31:52 | More by jono0101

BrownNut

Florida

3.75/5  rDev -4.1%

05-18-2013 03:19:41 | More by BrownNut

tut2528

Illinois

4.46/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Bottle 2/25/2011.. Reviewed on 5/17/13
GI Tulip

A: pours a nice dark caramel color, with small floaties. pour created about a 1/2 fingers worth of light tan head that dissipated rather quickly.

S: big sweet toffee, vanilla, sugar candy right up front. big bready/yeast notes complement the big sweetness in a terrific balance. secondary notes include a slight touch of alcohol, and a hint of spices.

T: follows the nose. big sweet toffee, sugary candy, biscuit, spice, and an amazing creamy vanilla finish. i didn;t pick up much fruit aromas in the nose, but there is some dark fruit presence here creating a bit more balance and complexity. alcohol is completely hidden. this is nice

M: on the lighter side of medium bodied. leaves a nice caramel-vanilla sweetness on the palate that excites the taste buds. just wish this was a bit more viscous.

O: it's been a while since I've had this brew, but I honestly don't remember this beer being this damn good. this vintage is drinking beautifully right now and definitely plan on aging a few more of these.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 00:16:58 | More by tut2528

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +8.7%

05-16-2013 18:48:26 | More by Slatetank

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Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +2.3%

05-16-2013 01:23:39 | More by smooth_aleing

mjohnson17

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -4.1%

05-16-2013 01:02:08 | More by mjohnson17

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Michigan

3.25/5  rDev -16.9%

05-15-2013 19:25:33 | More by avschmitt

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New Jersey

2/5  rDev -48.8%

05-15-2013 06:17:52 | More by jlenik

TheMultiYeast

Pennsylvania

3.66/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

Bottled: 07/10/12

Pours foggy brownish orange with a finger of head and thick lacing. Some rising bubbles interact with floating yeast sediment.

Malt forward nose. A bit fruity, apple, some banana, jam, mildly spicy, bready, caramel and light biscuit toastiness.

Caramel and malty flavors upfront, biscuit, raisin, dark fruits and ripe berries, some booze and tinge of bitterness.

Feel is rich, delicious, warming.

Pretty good. Not quite on par with say...Ommegang's Abbey Ale but this is well worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2013 02:27:21 | More by TheMultiYeast

Absolut

California

3.75/5  rDev -4.1%

05-14-2013 17:59:43 | More by Absolut

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Michigan

3.75/5  rDev -4.1%

05-14-2013 01:06:54 | More by Bitter_Echo

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North Carolina

4/5  rDev +2.3%

05-13-2013 16:20:47 | More by leftstagebrew

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California

3.5/5  rDev -10.5%

05-13-2013 05:52:44 | More by scottiethebody

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North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +8.7%

05-13-2013 05:50:35 | More by Bonko_the_sane

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Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +8.7%

05-12-2013 14:28:23 | More by Grfilwett

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New Hampshire

4.25/5  rDev +8.7%

05-12-2013 10:28:41 | More by Prost76

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Pennsylvania

2.75/5  rDev -29.7%

05-11-2013 21:46:56 | More by troy138

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New York

3.5/5  rDev -10.5%

05-11-2013 00:33:29 | More by quakeroatmealstout

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Indiana

4/5  rDev +2.3%

05-10-2013 22:02:03 | More by MSandahl23

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Louisiana

4.25/5  rDev +8.7%

05-10-2013 20:58:02 | More by JamesStreet